At the celebration banquet, Maria asked curiously, "Speaking of which, Sister Zofia, how did you and Sister Noah meet?"
"? Why are you suddenly interested in that?"
"Because, I remember before I met Sister Noah, I think I heard Sister Zofia mention it…" Maria recalled, "You said there was a very gloomy-looking girl from the Kielanlet… Now that I think about it, you were probably talking about Sister Noah, right?"
"…Ah, well… she did look very gloomy to me back then…" Zofia suddenly froze. She seemed to have mentioned this when chatting with Maria at home. Mainly, Zofia was young back then and had a good relationship with Yolanta, often visiting the Kielanlet. She usually went to see Yolanta. But Yolanta always seemed to have a gloomy little girl following her.
Noah at that time was an absolute little follower of Yolanta, always staying by Yolanta's side, tugging at her sleeve, and shyly avoiding Zofia. She was completely unlike the Noah she later became.
So, as they say, girls change a lot as they grow up. Even now, Zofia couldn't connect the Noah she saw back then with the Noah of today. Could someone really change that much? But recalling what Noah had gone through, she could somewhat understand.
The disappearance of Yolanta and Snitz was the biggest blow to the Nearl and Kielanlet. The absence of two key figures who should have been the mainstays of their respective families plunged both into gloom. The eldest son of the Kielanlet and his wife had left Kazimierz early on, going to Letania and never being heard from again, leaving only Noah, who was raised by Yolanta. Yolanta had also married Snitz long ago, so suddenly, the Kielanlet was left with only Noah as the legitimate heir.
And Yolanta, whom Noah practically regarded as a second mother, also disappeared with Snitz not long after...
For little Noah, she had lost two mothers in just a few short years, and the blow to her was immense. It is said that Noah was later strictly disciplined by her family, undergoing rigorous training too early, transforming her from a carefree little princess into the sole hope of the Kielanlet, even reaching a reputation comparable to Margaret at one point. Everyone at the time thought the Kielanlet could regain its former glory.
The result... a kidnapping incident, reduced everything to nothing.
It could be said that Noah's first half of life was essentially a series of losses... Her current position was almost entirely carved out by herself.
What ancestral protection, what family support, had little to do with her. The only reason she was now the head of the Kielanlet was... because she was the only legitimate successor left in the Kielanlet.
Especially after her grandfather's death, the entire Kielanlet... truly had no one Noah could rely on.
Thinking of this, Zofia's expression also darkened. The girl she once thought of as merely Yolanta's little follower had now grown into this. And more importantly... she looked very much like Yolanta. Many times, Zofia would mistakenly identify her in a daze. So, when Margaret was still around, her relationship with Noah often made Zofia wonder... Was Margaret looking for a shadow of her own mother in Noah?
This thought, though absurd, once it appeared, Zofia couldn't control it.
Sigh, perhaps this is what adult thinking is like... Maria wouldn't understand.
"But I do feel that my sister must really like Sister Noah... When the two of them are together, they really look like a painting," Maria, unaware of Zofia's thoughts, simply offered her own imagination. "They must be best friends for life!"
"...Best friends for life, huh..." Zofia's mind, however, conjured the image of Margaret fiercely pinning Noah to the bed. "I hope it doesn't sour... otherwise, I don't know what to call Noah anymore; the seniority would be too messy."
"...Sour what?"
"Kids wouldn't understand." Zofia's heart ached from the bitter truth. Sigh, the Kielanlet and Lingguang Family had always had good relations for generations, even often intermarrying. And most of the time, the Kielanlet provided the girls, and the Lingguang Family provided the boys, but this generation, both sides were girls... If they still followed tradition...
At the time of Yolanta and Snitz's disappearance, wouldn't Margaret and Noah have become a couple?
While it wasn't impossible... for those familiar with Noah, it was somewhat difficult to accept.
Sigh, but these were matters for the younger generation; it was no longer a problem for her generation to consider.
Maria blinked her eyes, a little confused by Zofia's words. What did she mean by sour, what did she mean by not knowing what to call Sister Noah, what adult topics... She casually picked up the orange juice in her cup, her pure heart inexplicably rippled by that sentence.
"Oh, right, Sister Zofia, you should also drink less... Last time, you even made me carry you back... Ah, I seem to have said it too late." Just as Maria remembered this, she saw five or six beer bottles already in front of Zofia. Even Old Martin, the bar owner, was watching the former Arena Knight's face with a serious expression, afraid she might suddenly start acting drunk, as his door had only recently been repaired.
"...I... I'm not drunk, I'm just saying... Noah, that child, is really too distant... Why can't she discuss things with me... I... I could clearly help."
"You're like this and still not drunk..."
"I'm not drunk! How could I get drunk with this much alcohol?!"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes... Then let's go home, okay?"
"No, another round! We're not going home until we're drunk today!"
"...Ah..."
If it were before, she could still call Noah, have Kuro and Noah come to carry the person away, but now... Maria could only pull out her phone, confused about whom to call. Noah had said it was best not to contact her recently... best not to meet privately, lest they be caught with something. So today...
She looked at her contact list and then saw a name among them...
"If worst comes to worst... I can only call Uncle."
Maria pressed the call button with a bitter face.
Manner quickly answered the phone, a low inquiry coming from the other end. "What is it?"
"Sister Zofia... she's drunk, so."
"...I'll be right there." Manner didn't ask where they were, or rather, where else could these two be drinking? Soon, Manner appeared at the bar's entrance. He looked at the already dead-drunk Zofia, then at the uneasy Maria, and silently shook his head.
"...Uncle, we just..."
"It's nothing, I just happen to be free." Manner interrupted Maria's explanation. "I'll carry Zofia, we... are going home."
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